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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. sharp — clever
  5. saw — the tool
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. saw — the tool
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. wound — an injury
  10. board — a committee
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. field — farmland
  13. field — for sport
  14. cap — a lid
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. board — to get on
  17. field — a subject
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. craft — a skill
  21. cap — a hat
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. cap — of ice
  24. ruler — for measuring

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com